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Release Day Review ~ Runaway by Nic Starr (Giveaway)

Release Day Review ~ Runaway by Nic Starr

Dr Nathan Powell is ready to settle down near his family, and hopefully find the man of his dreams. He returns to the small coastal town where he grew up, but while life is simpler than it was in the city, there are also complications—like patients’ reactions to an openly gay doctor. And like running into Nate’s first love, Damien, an out-and-proud local business owner who is unwilling to be any man’s dirty secret. The reunion reignites old desire even while it stirs up Nate’s guilt over the way things ended with Damien.

When Nate’s nephew runs away, Damien accompanies Nate on his mission to find the young man. The drive to Sydney, and the search of the city, gives Nate time to reconnect with Damien—and to wonder if he made the right decision years ago—when he determined a future for them was impossible. Is a fresh start realistic for two men in their forties? But before he can ponder the second chance they’ve been given, Nate must locate his nephew.

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4 Stars

My absolute favorite trope is second chances. I love the familiarity these stories hold, without having to go too far into the past. I love that the characters know one another already. This was a well-written and enjoyable second chances love story. When Nate moves back to his small hometown after one of the doctors at the local clinic retires, he's sure to run into his old flame, Damien. When he does run into him, he quickly discovers the spark is still there, but while Nate hasn't hidden his lifestyle completely while living in the big city, now that he's back home in his small hometown, he's taken up residence in the local closet again.

With the help of his sister, Nate and Damien are thrown together again, then when Nate's nephew, Jackson, runs away to the city, Damien accompanies him on the trip to look for him.

This was a nice read. I loved Damien. Nate, well, I wanted to bat him upside the head and knock some sense into him. I understood his reasons for staying in the closet, but I wanted so badly for him to come out. I was happy to see him progress through the book and have his eyes opened.

I enjoyed this book and I loved the storyline, but I wish it either had a chapter or two more, or at least an epilogue. The ending is sweet and touching, but I was left wanting to know what the future holds for Nate and Damien. All in all, this was a sweet and entertaining read I'd recommend!

8 comments:

Thanks for the good review. A good YA second chance is Something Like Summer (Bell). Then if you go to sci-fi that I liked: Persistence of Memory (Snyder) and Psi Hunter (McKenna). - Purple Reader,TheWrote [at] aol [dot] com

Thank you or the review and post. My second chance recs are: Witches for Hire by Sam Argent, The Boyfriend Mandate by River Jaymes, Freak by E. Davies, True Colors by Anyta Sunday, and The Christmas Divorce by Hollis Shiloh

I will count "Death of a Pirate King" by Josh Lanyon as second chance story, because it's book #4 of the Adrien English series and they broke up in the previous book. Oh and also "Jackdaw" by KJ Charles